A missed 19-yard field goal attempt on fourth down with just 79 seconds remaining brought the Dallas Cowboys within a point and a yard of a first down as the Seattle Seahawks held on to advance in the 2006 NFC playoffs , beating the Cowboys 21-20 at home in Seattle.
While there was enough blame to pass for the loss in the wild card game, the final blunder came when “rookie” quarterback Tony Romo lost control of the ball on Martin Gramatica’s 19-yard field goal attempt.
Romo, the starter, caught the ball cleanly but dropped the ball when he set it up for Gramatica’s attempt. Romo tried to run into the end zone on the play, but was stopped in his tracks by Jordan Babineaux at the 2-yard line, a yard short of a first down.
Unproven quarterbacks who become starters historically mess up in big games, and Romo did not disappoint. He made no excuse for costing Dallas the victory and advancement in the playoff game, and Romo deserves credit for taking the blame.
He started kicking for the Cowboys last year before replacing Drew Bledsoe this year. He became a Pro Bowl selection by winning five of his first six starts and turning Dallas’ season around at that point. Romo’s fast start and great stats quickly fell apart as the season progressed.
Many money players (including me) bet that Seattle would win because of Matt Hasselbeck’s experience and Romo’s inexperience in the playoffs.
True to form, Hasselbeck was 18 of 36 for 240 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions, both of which resulted in Dallas field goals. Matt Hasselbeck was a Pro Bowl selection last year, but this year he was plagued by injuries and a weaker offensive line.
Romo was 17 of 29 for 189 yards, a touchdown and no turnovers, but all it took was one missed kick attempt to spoil his effort.
All stats aside, the ball clearly bounced right for Seattle and wrong for Dallas, but that’s why we played the game. As a fan of the Seattle Seahawks, it almost goes without saying that I love first-year starting quarterbacks who play for the opposing team.
Two other big plays helped Seattle advance to the playoffs.
The first big play came when they trailed 20-13 after missing a fourth-and-goal play with 6:40 left in the game. The Seahawks began their comeback with two points at safety when defensive back Kelly Jennings forced Dallas wide receiver Terry Glenn to fumble the ball in the end zone as the Cowboys took control deep in their own territory.
The ball shot out of Glenn’s arms and bounced into the end zone as three Seattle defenders converged on the opportunity for the Seahawk defense to score in the Cowboys’ end zone.
Linebacker Lofa Tatupu, a rookie All Pro last year, dove for the ball to keep it from going out of bounds and put it back in play, then safety Michael Boulware recovered it for what appeared to be a touchdown.
A replay showed Tatupu was out of bounds when the ball tilted in bounds, so the Seahawks got a safety and the Cowboys lost possession of the ball.
The second big play came when Seattle got the ball on a free throw behind safety. The Seahawks took the winning lead on Matt Hasselbeck’s 37-yard touchdown pass to Jerramy Stevens.
Stevens had arguably the best day of his 5-year career, catching five passes for 77 yards and two touchdowns, his first touchdown going 15 yards to give Seattle a 13-10 lead in the third quarter. The Seahawks couldn’t have won without Stevens because Seattle wide receiver Darrell Jackson (D-Jack) and DJ Hackett left the game with injuries.
Dallas couldn’t be denied as Romo led the Cowboys back onto the field and into position for victory when a pass to Jason Witten was initially ruled first down. A replay showed the Cowboys were short.
It seemed like Dallas coach Bill Parcells was tempted to do it on fourth-and-1 while leaving his offense on the field until Seattle called a timeout. Then Parcells sent Gramatica in for the unsuccessful field goal attempt.
This playoff game was as exciting as any wild card game ever played.
Miles Austin, an undrafted rookie, had a 93-yard kickoff return for Dallas that became the first kickoff return for a touchdown in Cowboys playoff history. Austin’s electrifying run put Dallas up 17-13 in the third quarter just 11 seconds after the Seahawks took the lead.
Championing the play were unnamed names like John Howell, Rich Gardner, Ben Joppru, Oliver Celestin, Marquis Weeks, and Lance Laury.
Seattle lost starters Kelly Herndon and Jimmy Williams to season-ending injuries against Tampa Bay a week before the game. Starting pitcher Marcus Trufant, one of the best cornerback tacklers in the NFL, suffered a sprained ankle earlier in the year.
Thrust into the spotlight to defend against Terrell Owens (arguably the best current receiver in the NFL) and Terry Glenn (arguably the fastest receiver in the NFL) was rookie Kelly Jennings (who caused the fumble that resulted in safety Seattle), turned safety — cornerback Jordan Babineaux (who covered Terrell Owens and made the game-saving tackle on Tony Romo) and nickel running back Pete Hunter (who was out of football a week earlier and was working as an official). loan in Dallas).
If you’re not impressed by the performance of Jennings, Babineaux and Hunter, it’s certainly a Dallas home run.
The Seahawk defensive secondary that had been decimated before the playoff game helped hold the Cowboys to a season-low 14 first downs, their second-lowest total yards at 284, their second-lowest passing net yards at 168 and only 23% conversions on third attempts.
Many Seahawks played tough on defense and the secondary defense, which thought it would get a lesson in what not to do against Terrell Owens and Terry Glenn, stood strong as the Seattle Seahawks’ NFC conference champion team. It’s been a year since he went to the Super Bowl.
Is there unfinished business in Seattle? Yes there are. The next stop is Chicago against the Bears, the No. 1 seed in the NFC. The Seahawks arrive as underdogs by 9 points.
The Bears humiliated Seattle 37-6 earlier in the season on home turf, but as a bettor, I like that Seattle beats the Bears and continues its run to another Super Bowl appearance.
The Seahawks’ previous loss to the Bears was played with a banged-up offensive line, with Shaun Alexander unable to play with a broken bone in his left foot and Michael Boulware leaving the game with a concussion.
Let the Seahawks try again, this time healthier, stronger, hungrier and more focused on the prize that eluded them last year when Pittsburgh beat them 21-10 to win Super Bowl 40 (XL).
Copyright © 2007 Ed Bagley